Wyoming Mule Deer Story/Pics

Murdoc34

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Four years ago my good friend Cody Stokes and I started talking about going on a backpack hunt for mule deer in the back country of Wyoming. This last week that hunt came to fruition. We started by taking a four wheeler in as far as the trail would allow. From there we started hiking. Cody was familiar with the area, but had never hunted as far into the back country as we had planned for this trip.

We found a place to setup camp. Unfortunately there wasn't any place that was flat so we had to dig out an area to get the tent on level ground. It was exciting seeing all of the gear we'd been collecting over the years for this hunt put to use. After we setup camp we had enough time to do some scouting for the opener which was the next day.

That evening we found a shooter buck not too far from camp. We watched him with 3 other smaller bucks until the sun faded over the horizon. That night it was hard to get any sleep because of the anticipation for the next morning.

Sure enough, morning came and we found ourselves on a ridge overlooking the bowl where we had seen the buck from the night before. We only saw one of the small bucks. After some time we decided to continue to make our way deeper into the back country. Around 11am, we were glassing an area that looked good when Cody spotted a group of bucks. We quickly put the spotting scope on them and saw that there was one definite shooter in the group just before they crossed over the next ridge out of distance. This is where our zeal gets the best of us. We were already miles from the 4 wheeler from the hike before and at the moment we were a few miles from our camp. In order to get to these deer we had to go even further which included a good climb up and over this peak we were looking at. If we shot one back there, we knew it would be an absolute nightmare getting it out. We talked about it for a few minutes and when the conversation ended, we had our packs on heading up the mountain towards the bucks.

We finally made our way to where we last seen the bucks. I made my way down through their bedding area while Cody was setup on what we expected would be their escape route. After making my way through the jack pines, we realized the bucks were nowhere to be found. Somewhat disappointed we made our way to a nearby ridge that provided a good vantage. As I settled in to glass, I looked at my watch and saw that it was 3pm.

Glassing is by far my preferred method of hunting mule deer. That's one thing I loved about the area we were in. You can glass for miles. As I glassed I continued to try and pick apart every bush, rock slide, and jack pine on the mountain. Finally after scrutinizing the mountain, I located what looked like a deer. I sat there for what seemed like an eternity trying to decide if this was a deer or not. I had almost talked myself out of it being a deer when it moved. Awesome! It is a deer and it is definitely in big buck country. After a few more minutes he finally picked up his head. My heart jumped as I saw his rack! I had Cody come over to check him out and put the spotting scope on him. After getting a good look at him, we knew he was a definite shooter. He was a unique buck. He was in full velvet and one of his front forks bended towards the ground slightly. As we looked closer, we also saw he had a brow tine similar to an elk coming out of the base of his right antler. From the beginning of the hunt, we knew Cody had the first shot for this hunt. After talking it over, he knew I only had a few days to hunt and being the good friend that he is, he decided to let me try and take this buck.

Now it was decision time. I pulled out my range finder and ranged this buck at 834 yards. As we studied the mountain he was on, we realized there was no possible way to get any closer to this deer. Throughout this last year I've been practicing long range shooting and I knew I had the equipment to make a shot like that, but I really would prefer getting closer. Knowing that there was no way to get closer to this deer I started setting up for the shot. Making sure to get a rock solid rest I settled the crosshairs in on the buck. I was rock solid and the my scope was dialed in. Just as I was about to squeeze the trigger he took one step forward and I could see a branch going across his vitals. I waited. The buck stood there, then started picking at the ground and decided he had found a good place to bed down. After he bedded, all I could see was his head and his antlers. I looked at my watch, it was 5:30.

After 30 minutes of being bedded, he stood back up, I settled in on him but the same branch was in my way. The buck checked his back trail for a few minutes then bedded back down. This exact scene played out 4 different times over the next two hours. The buck would stand, check his back trail for a few minutes, the same branch was in the way, then he'd bed down. It was fun to watch him but also frustrating.

As the minutes ticked away, the sun continued to creep towards the mountain. I started to wonder if I was going to get to take the shot. At 7:30 the sun hit the top of the mountain and the buck decided that it was time for some dinner and made his way out of his bed. It was go time! I settled the crosshairs in on the buck and touched the trigger. You could hear the echo from the rifle break the silence in the canyon. You could also hear the bullet making its way across the canyon. I quickly found the buck in the scope again and he had not moved. Cody told me I had hit high. I quickly dialed down the scope, waited for the buck to turn slightly and touched off another shot. This time the bullet hit its mark! The buck instantly dropped and started to roll down the hill. Both Cody and I held our breathe as this buck continued to roll, and roll, and roll some more down the mountain. Finally he came to a stop about 400 yards below where he was feeding.

After a few high fives we quickly packed up our stuff and started making our way back up the mountain so we could drop down to the side where the buck lay. By now it was dark and we were debating on whether or not to drop back off the mountain tonight or wait until morning. We decided to try and find him even though it was incredibly steep and the entire mountain was shale rock which was going to make it even that much harder. Making our way down the mountain above where the buck lay was a chore in itself trying to navigate through the shale rock with our headlamps. We found the area where the buck started falling and followed it's blood trail straight down. After falling and sliding down the mountain ourselves a few times, we finally could see the buck laying in the distance! What a great feeling! We made our way down to the buck to see that not a single antler had broken off! All of his velvet was stripped off and hanging down over his head. As I picked up his rack, I got even more excited! This buck was a toad!

After some pictures and filming, we prepped the buck for the packs and the long hike back up the mountain and back to camp. When we finally loaded our packs on our backs it was 11pm. The hike back was torture, there's no better way to put it. I never could have gotten that deer off the mountain without Cody's help. We had to take each step up the mountain on all fours to try and avoid sliding back down, which we did over and over. The thought kept crossing my mind that I can't believe we do this for fun. The heavy pack full of meat and big rack attached did make it all worth it though!

We finally made it back to camp at 1am and made some Mountain House meals before bed. Sleep came quickly that night. The next morning we glassed some for Cody and then decided we better get off the mountain as a big storm was rolling in.

I very much appreciate my good friend Cody for making this happen for me. I also am extremely grateful for my beautiful wife and wonderful kids for letting Dad go on these crazy adventures in the fall. I can't wait until it's my kids taking the shot on a big buck in the Wyoming back country!

The buck measured 29 inches wide.


Brady
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Very nice story and a VERY Nice Buck....Way to get it done !!
So you ended up shooting him at over 800 Yds ?
Dave



"Do you like Apples ? Well I got her
number, How do you like those Apples !
 
The shot ended up being 834 according to the range finder. I'm guessing it was 15 or 20 yards shorter based on the first shot being high.

I use a 7mm RUM. I shoot a 150 grain scirrocco bullet. I have the Bushnell 6500 Elite scope. I used the Leupold VX-L for 3 years and just made the switch in the spring. I LOVE the scope! I had it zoomed up to 30 power when I shot this deer and the clarity was great!
 
Great buck and story!

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LAST EDITED ON Sep-21-11 AT 06:15PM (MST)[p]That is truly a hunt you will never forget! Congrats on a smoker buck. Great story and pics. There is this one buck in a unit I drew this year and hope to connect with him at the end of October.
 
LAST EDITED ON Sep-22-11 AT 11:17AM (MST)[p]Congrats on a great buck. I enjoyed your story and pics, I met Cody about 6 years ago and he reminds me of a Mtn Goat. Great Job.
 
That was a great story. Thanks for sharing your hunt and trophy with us. Sounds like you earned that one for sure. Cody sounds like a great friend and hunting partner.
 
I have been at many a camp fire with Cody and he is a good hunter, and a better friend. The guy is a mtn goat for sure.

I remember one year we were hunting elk in WY and I shot a bull off the back side of the mountains. We took the horses up and over the top and down to the bottom and when coming back up we got within a couple hundred yards of the top and the horses quit on us and wanted to lay down. They were beat. We got them unpacked and taken up to the top and tied up. There was all the meat that still needed to reach the top and Cody hauled 75% of it the remaining way to the top and it was not even his bull. That is the kind of friend that he is.
 
Sounds like a awesome trip.Your hunt story was told well.
LittleJoe you have a great friend in Cody.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
 

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